OLC-OST Environmental Protection Program Research and Educational Collaboration Charles Jason Tinant, OLC Robert Pille, OLC Delinda Simmons, OST EPP Hannan LaGarry, OLC Presentation to the Oglala Sioux Tribe Environmental TECH Team on December 21, 2013

How Are OLC students and Faculty working to improve Reservation Stream Health? 1) Finalized the OST watershed protection plan for the USEPA in January ) Develop a TMDL for smaller reservation streams 3) Improve an algae prediction model to better handle stream scour 4) Conduct a multivariate analysis of the macroinvertebrate community over time and across ecoregions Pass Creek during an algal bloom

OLC MST Degrees Natural Science BS Degree in Earth (and Water) Science and Conservation Biology Pre-Engineering AA Transfer Degree in collaboration with SDSMT and SDSU Information Technology BS Life Science AA

Reservation- Centered Coursework Place-Based Service Learning and Course Embedded Research We welcome service-learning opportunities and analyze data from our summer research in the classroom Cultural Preservation We house the OST Cultural Resource Repository (Thank you NSF ARI and TCUP program) and have Cultural Resource Management coursework (Sci 493)

Writing - Intensive Individualized Student Research Projects

AnthropogENic Stressors Are impacting the Nation’s Waters 2006 EPA Wadable Stream Assessment Watershed Protection is a National Challenge

Sun + Nutrients = Eutrophication -> NighT time Low Oxygen -> Ecosystem Changes Non-Point Source Impacts from Land use Harm the Environment

DIFFERENT LAND USE PRACTICES AND DIFFERENT WATERSHED RESPONSES TO PRECIPITATION: Badlands Streams are Event Dominated and Sandhills Streams are Base flow dominated

So Where should the OST Begin When 85% of PRR Steams Do not Meet Existing Water Quality Standards ?

Collaboration in the Field from 2010: 1) Biological Monitoring of Fish and Macroinvertebrates 2) Chemical and Flow Monitoring

Laboratory Collaboration Macroinvertebrate Analysis Identification of macroinvertebrates to family Calculation of stream health metrics based on the macroinvertebrate community We have completed over 100 stream samples with over 20,000 identified bugs between 2010 and 2013!

Continuous Stream flow and Water Quality Monitoring We are collecting the following parameters at 15 minute intervals at 6 stations ( ): Stream stage Dissolved oxygen pH Conductivity Temperature

Student service-learning research (NSci 233 – Hydrology) to determine flow duration curves

Water Pollution Reduction Approaches through a TMDL – Beginning Spring 2014 in nsci 373 Watershed assessment

Analysis and modeling I developed an Algal Predictive Model as part of pHD studies – an olc student intern will be calibrating the model this spring

increasing Canopy cover in the tablelands ecoregion can reduce eutrophication caused by nutrient loading Zero canopy cover Canopy cover varies from 0% - 70% Zero canopy cover

The n:P ratio might tell us something about Anthropogenic nutrient loading Low N:P variance High N:P variance High N at one station These stations have persistent algal blooms

Best Management Practice Prioritization Frequent scour increases the assimilative capacity of Badlands streams – However, algal blooms are beginning to occur downstream of larger winter feeding operations BMPs in Sandhills streams should focus on ground water quality protection The most rapid ROI may be to focus BMPs on riparian area protection / improvement in Tablelands streams with high N:P ratios

Next Steps in Stream Health 1) Research whether streams are N, P limited or N+P co-limited (Nsci 373 – Watershed Assessment Spring 2013) 2) Develop a TMDL for smaller reservation streams – guided undergraduate research 3) Calibrate the model and improve the algal predictive model to better handle stream scour - guided undergraduate research 4) Conduct a multivariate analysis of the macroinvertebrate community over time and across ecoregions (NMDS Ordination)

Are THere ways we Can Help other programs? Charles Jason Tinant -surface water quality / aquatic ecology Hannan LaGarry -cultural resources / geology Alessandra Higa -conservation biology James Sanovia - GIS mapping Bob Pille -General (e.g. the guy who gives the orders and solid waste) Research funded by the NSF TCUP Program grants # and #